And The Years Go By
by J.K.B-D-0451
Summary: 15 years after the events of Weirdmageddon, the Pines twins reunite in Gravity Falls for the summer after five years apart. With both Twins having grown up in their own way, can they regain the bond they lost over the years, and can they rediscover the magic of Gravity Falls after fifteen years away? Later WenDip, and Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Mabel Pines looked out of the bus window, anticipation building in her stomach like when she had too much Smile-Dip. It had been fifteen years since she was in the 'little town just west of weird'. Fifteen years without seeing a weird sight outside the window, and knowing it wasn't just a trick of the light! She was going back to Gravity Falls for three months of the summer, and maybe even permanently. The long bus ride from Portland to Oregon was the same as it was years ago, but without Dipper by her side, it felt ten times more boring.

She was leaning on the window, watching the forest blur past her when Mabel got a phone call. Checking the screen, she was greeted by a picture she took at her parents Christmas party from a few years ago. Mabel sported a pair of colourful flats, more bracelets and wristbands than a tacky gift-shop and one of her trademark sweaters (this one had a picture of a ripped Father Christmas with a horses body, labelled 'Santaur') that was lit up brighter than the tree the twins stood in front of. Next to her was a man laughing like a drain at the silly face she was making. The young man was about two heads taller than her, and had a rough beard of deep brown, and wore a navy blue formal vest over a white shirt. The small birthmark the looked like the big dipper subtly peeked out from behind a Christmas hat, cementing the figure as Dipper Pines. The photo accurately showed how both of the twins' fashion senses had developed yet also stayed the same over the years.

The self-proclaimed 'Mystery Twins' hadn't seen each other for the past five years, with Mabel going to business school (her handmade sweater business had been _blowing up_ (who knew people wanted clothing with more sparkles than a gnome's barf?)), and Dipper had gone abroad to Europe to study all the weird and wonderful stuff over there. Both of them had grown up in the years since their first summer, both physically and emotionally. Dipper was actually social now, which was a welcome change from normal tactic of being incredibly awkward (unless he was in mortal danger, then he apparently becomes a beacon of self-confidence), a change which was even more apparent in his new day-job. While Mabel was being 'fiscally responsible by owning her own... unique business' or whatever that means, Dipper had opted to follow in his Great-Uncle Stan's footsteps and supported his adventuring by fooling a crowd. Yes, Dipper Pines, the kid who couldn't hold a single persons attention for more than five seconds a had become a magician, and could now keep crowds enraptured in his travelling show, _Mason Mystic_ , a name which Mabel found endlessly hilarious. Yes, the two twins had certainly split path wise, but were as close as ever.

Mabel frantically broke out of her reverie, raced to pick up the call, and managed to hit the accept button just as the call tone ended. Letting out a long sigh, Mabel listened to the message Dipper had left for her.  
"Hey Mabes, just calling to let you know my flight was delayed, 'cause of bad weather or something. Gonna be around a day late into town. Don't worry, I'll be there soon." Mabel's brow furrowed, and she was left sitting in her seat with a pensive look on her face. She had been looking forward to seeing her brother all week, and now she had to wait even longer. Dipper also was staying in Gravity Falls for a few months, but needed to get back to the UK (his chosen adventure ground) and his fiancé, Rebecca. Mabel had talked to Rebecca on occasion, Christmas times and video calls, and thought she seemed nice enough for Dipper. And when she heard about the engagement, Mabel hadn't stopped squealing for a week. Dipper was absolutely gaga for this girl. This, combined with how the weather between Oregon and New York, Dippers flight path, was completely clear (Global warming is good for something at least, Mabel thought) made her think that her bro-bro was leaving certain details out about his life.  
But before she could go all Duck-tective on her brothers personal life, the bus slowly ground to a halt outside a raggedy old bus stop at the side of a forest. Mabel scampered down the bus and burst out of the doors with all of the grace of a elephant covered in glitter. She may have been 28 now, but she was still the same kid that visited this magical place 15 years ago with her twin.

* * *

 **First Fanfiction! Please read and review if you have anything to say, constructive or not**

 **JKB-D**


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper Pines was having a... _taxing_ morning.

He was rudely woke up at 2 o'clock at night by a 'courtesy call' from his hotel's front desk. Well, calling it a hotel was a strong word. It was more a multi-storey parking lot with beds, and a dodgy-looking buffet. Yes, the Tranquil Cavern Airport Hotel, just outside Heathrow Airport, was anything but living up to it's namesake.

The 'courtesy call' was in fact the hotel's night manager, an intimidating man who Dipper thought looked like Manly Dan if he was forced into a middle-management position in a used car dealership, pounding repeatedly on Dipper's door and throwing in a few hacking coughs of a long-time smoker for good measure. So that wasn't the best. He followed that up with a shower (which was of course infuriatingly lukewarm) and a quick visit to the breakfast buffet- followed by an even quicker visit to the takeaway restaurant next door. Finally, he caught a cab to the Heathrow Departures Terminal, in which he made extremely awkward conversation with a taxi driver who treats his passengers like his personal psychiatrists.

And that is how Dipper Pines entered the airport tired, annoyed, full of Chinese Food and with one (probably misdiagnosed) case of Seasonal Affective Disorder under his belt. All to see his phone (which he had forgotten to turn on till now) full of texts from his fiancé Rebecca, all labelled 'We need to talk'. And so he, with a mind that if anyone could read it would get him tackled to the ground by security, lugged his bags back into the same cab and went home.

* * *

'Home' was a small flat in the small village of Ashwell, what Dipper considered the polar opposite to Gravity Falls in every way.

Well, maybe just one major way. It. Was. _Boring_.

In his time in Europe, Ashwell was the most normal place he'd ever been. Heck, even Piedmont was riveting by comparison. But it was home, no matter how much Dipper longed he could be somewhere interesting. Like Edinburgh (full of Relicts; hags, golems, that sort of thing,) or Tunbridge Wells (surprisingly home to most Vampires in Western Europe- Not all Europe, Transylvania still had them beat in that regard). But still, Rebecca liked it here, and that was good enough for him.

Rebecca. Dipper's fiancé. He still felt a strange mix of happiness and sadness at those words. Was that normal? He hoped that was normal. He didn't think it was, but he could hope. But Rebecca was great. She was a archivist for the British Wildlife Conservation Effort, and while that took her away a lot, his job did too. Smart, funny and pretty, he thought she was like an English Wendy.

He wondered what was wrong. She knew he had been looking forward to this trip for months. Why had she chosen now to talk? And what about?

The cab pulled up to the kerb, and Dipper almost forgot to pay the driver in his rush to get to his front door. The drive had two cars, which was odd seeing as his van was currently in the care of a friend.

Fumbling with his keys, he finally managed to open the doors only to be confronted with Rebecca pacing up and down in the kitchen, with packed suitcases stacked up in the corners, scratch that, _his suitcases_ , and a stranger leaning against the kitchen side.

Dipper was still reeling when Rebecca noticed his arrival, and the stranger calmly got up and took to her side in the kitchen

"Hello Mason." She said, her voice cutting through Dipper's mental fog like a lighthouse in a storm.  
"Hey yourself." Dipper countered, his instincts telling him this wasn't gonna be a fun conversation. He would bet his journal on the fact that his things were in a storage unit somewhere, and not in this flat. Some of that aggression got into his voice evidently, as Rebecca's companion seemed to puff his chest up in argument.  
"Didn't catch your flight then?"  
"No. I was about to check in when I got your texts, y'know, all seven-hundred of them?"  
"I sorta assumed you would be in New York by the time you got 'em."  
"Yeah, well I'm here now," Dipper walked further inside the flat and leaned against the doorframe, "so what's up?"  
"Well, I wanted the trip to act as a cushion but..." Rebecca collected herself and stood up straight. "Mason, I'm breaking up with you."  
"Yeah, I got that from the suitcases, which I'm guessing have all my stuff in?" Rebecca nodded. "Right. So my only questions are why and who?"

The stranger apparently took this as his cue to enter the fray, and held his outstretched hand to Dipper. "Robbie. Im your fian-"  
Rebecca quickly cut him off with a pointed look and took over. "Robbie is a friend from work."  
"Oh." That was all Dipper could come up with. It was as though he had had a staring contest with the Gremloblin. He was dazed. The next moments were a blur, and he could just make out something Rebecca was saying, the same things you hear in every breakup- a lack of communication, feelings of resentment, all the stuff he had heard from his previous girlfriends. And before he knew it, he was handing over his key and leaving the flat with considerably more luggage than he came with, both physically and emotionally.

* * *

 **So! Its been a while. About a year, actually. Sorry about that. But, I'm back (hopefully) after exams, and I can focus a bit more on this stuff. But enough apologies, the first chapter following Dipper is up, and we start to see a bit more about his life. Please read and review if you have anything to say, constructive or not (Yes, even the flames, I think they still have a bit of merit). But yeah, hopefully the next chapter will have a gap of less than a year, fingers crossed.**

 **JKB-D**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Mabes, just calling to let you know my flight was delayed, 'cause of bad weather or something. Gonna be around a day late into town. Don't worry, I'll be there soon."

He sighed after leaving his sister the message. He always hated lying to his sister, even more so after so long apart. He just hoped she didn't catch on to the repressed frustration that lay under his strained voice. She had gotten much better at telling when he was lying through his teeth through their teenage years - strange explanations of why he had stayed out so late that any other teenager would roll their eyes at held a certain _credibility_ between the twins ('I got in a fight with some pixies' was a particular favourite of his). But at least he got her voicemail - he didn't think he could hold it all in if he spoke to her right now.

He left the quiet lounge in the Heathrow concourse and pulled out his laptop as he sat down at a coffee shop's quietest booth to finish sorting out his hastily rescheduled flights, with the additional challenge of trying to organise moving a van across the Pacific without its contents getting a strange look at customs.

The 'Mason Mystic Mystery Tour'-mobile (he _really_ had to come up with a better name for that one day) was replete with questionable knick-knacks he had scavenged over the five years he had the rustbucket gallivanting across Europe. The roof had a small two-person canoe lashed to it haphazardly with bungee cord, the van had a collection of beauty marks (read: dents) across the body work, and inside was a host of interestingly illegal looking substances and items - none of which _were_ , but the effect was lost on law enforcement, apparently.

He eventually settled on having his friend Cal look after it until he could get better situated in Gravity Falls, which might have to be his base of operations for the foreseeable future, what with being kicked out of his house by his fiance- ' _ex-fiance',_ Dipper thought to himself, the words echoing around his head like a shout in a cathedral, ' _ **ex-fiance'**_.

Which reminded him; he had to cancel all of the wedding stuff they had sorted out. It wasn't that much - Dipper and Rebecca hadn't been in the same place long enough to make any meaningful progress - but it was another thing to worry about.

He let out another sigh of barely-contained frustration.

He looked to the clocks on the wall, running the variety from China all the way to America, and his eyes settled on the one for the East Coast. Mabel would be just arriving at Gravity Falls about now.

He wondered how she was doing, and hoped she was having a better time than he was.

* * *

The air smelled the same.

It was the first thing she noticed, not only after being cooped up in the bus for goodness-knows how long, but also after spending so long in Portland and never having the chance to go for an explore like she used to. Not a _Dipper Explore_ , all through coves and caverns, but a wander through a place filled with people she loved and places she cherished the memories of. So Mabel could only think right now of the musty scent of the forest that stretched out in front of her and the smell of that small Oregon town that wafted along the breeze.

That was until her Grunkles showed up, and all she could think of was running and giving them the biggest ' _Im-so-sorry-I-never-visited-you-but-I-was-so-busy-with-school-but-that's-no-excuse-I-missed-you-guys-so-much_ hug she could.

The two Great-Uncles looked good for their age (a closely guarded secret in Stan's case, and 64 in Stanford's, making Stan's point moot), both wearing hastily decorated _World's Greatest_ _ **Gr**_ _Uncle_ shirts, and wrapped their arms around their neice's shoulders in a warm embrace.

After a brief moment of silent sappiness, Stan piped up. "How are ya doing pumpkin?"

"I'm doing amazing! The driver on the way here was really nice and let me play my music all the way here from Portland!"

"Really?" Ford asked, a look of incredulity plastered across his face.

"That poor, poor man..." Stan murmured.

"But how are you guys doing? Have you guys been working out?" Mabel felt Stanford's biceps - or at least where biceps _would_ be.

"Alright, that's enough buttering me up young lady-"

"Young lady? Im 28!"

"Yes, only a full 36 years below Stanley and I" Mabel chuckled and put her hands up in a mock surrender, which slowly and inevitably morphed into jazz hands. "Anyway, we should get a move on - everyone's at The Shack waiting for us."

"Everyone?"

"Yep," Stan chimed in, "Soos, Wendy, Melody, your old friends, even that Northwest girl showed up."

By now, Mabel was on the seats of the cart, bouncing up and down, rocking the thing on it's wheels.

"Shall we?" asked Ford, a smirk playing on his mouth.

"WE SHALL!"

* * *

 **You know, I'm starting notice a pattern to my upload schedule. No pattern _is_ a pattern, right?**

 **Again, I'm sorry for the distinct lack of movement on this story. Don't have an excuse, just an apology. Oh, and a thank you to BoldDragonLord, whose kind review got me back into this whole story! Reminded me just how much I love this story and what I have planned for it.**

 **Next Chapter: We add the third and final perspective character to our story! How exciting!**


	4. Chapter 4

The blur of trees ground to a halt as the cart pulled up outside the Shack.

It looked a lot like how Mabel remembered - logs stacked up on top of each other in a way that seemed haphazard, but at the same time had that weather-worn look that somehow reassures rather than deter any onlookers. The roof had been cleaned, with weeds pulled out of the cracks between wooden shingles, yet the moss that almost covered the very crest still perched in the harder to reach areas. Ratty old porch chairs had been replaced with sturdier looking wooden benches on the landing, but the Pitt Cola machine - that had a bit more rust on it than Mabel remembered - was still in its spot beside the gift shop entrance. The details had been polished, and it was made to be more 'consumer-friendly' (although Mabel didn't think it had enough pastel colours to be up to her exacting standards), still, it kept that _oomph_ that it always had.

Mabel still had butterflies when she looked out into the forests that surrounded the place, thinking of all the different kinds of weirdness out there. She chuckled to herself - she had almost sounded like Dipper just then.

The smile faded as her brother's face replaced barfing pixies in her mind's eye. She didn't know what to think about his delay, but she knew that something was up with him. His message sounded cheerful enough, and sure, if the Grunkles or Mom and Dad got it it would have just seemed like a small bump in the road. But she knew better. She felt in her gut.

Or that could've just been the Road Trip Taco that she ate on the bus. It was probably that. At least, she hoped so.

Either way, he wouldn't be here for her to interro- a tactful and emotionally respectful talk to about any problems until tomorrow, so she may as well enjoy herself until then.

Stan helped with Mabel's suitcases whilst Stanford led the group up the steps. 'Steps that still creaked as you walked up them', she thought to herself with a smile. Some things really do never change. She rested her bags next to the gift shop sign and opened the door.

* * *

Dipper collapsed onto the bed in his motel room and felt himself melt into the covers. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to finally get some rest after two flights and a taxi ride. He could never sleep on planes, his ears always popped just as he was nodding off, and there was no way in this dimension that he was falling asleep in a strangers car - one way or another that ended badly. So he would give anything for just one hour of sleep in an actual bed.

But he couldn't. During the UK-New York flight he wrote the politest emails he could to caterers, planners and wedding guests asking for forgiveness (or in some cases, refunds), which he needed to send off before he turned in, and on the New York-Portland stretch he had been filling out all kinds of forms for his unexpected residence in his home country. It amazed him how it took more paperwork to sort out a car moving from England to America than it did to re-apply for his citizenship, but in any case those also needed sending.

An hour later (his paranoia kept him from sending anything out with anything less than perfect grammar and spelling) he finally managed to get under the sheets thathad been taunting him since he entered the motel on the edge of the city. But before he could set off for his own little dreamscape, he quickly shot a text over to Mabel.

' _This is the first time in years that I'll send her a text while in the same time zone_ ', he thought with a smirk. Sure enough, as soon as he sent the text - "Mabes. Just got into Portland. Need sleep. Will be in GF by Lunch tomorrow. Send everyone my love!" - he got a reply of " **AWESOME** " peppered with smiley faces and confetti streamers, followed by a photo of everyone in the Shack's kitchen cheering. The Grunkles huddled in the back, Soos and Melody sat next to each other at the table with a small baby between them, and Mabel, Wendy and Pacifica all together up close to the camera.

He slept soundly for the first time since he left his house the day before, and with a smile on his face.

* * *

Mabel was also getting ready for bed when she got Dipper's text. She was staying in the Shack for the summer, Soos was kind enough to offer the attic room to her while she stayed. She'd finished unpacking her cases just as she got it, and was overjoyed to know her brother was close by- relatively that is. He was still miles away, but that was better than an entire continent between each other. She sent back her usual fare of emojis and all-caps enthusiasm, and decided to include the picture they all took earlier.

Seeing everyone was great. More than great, it felt like she had been recharged after just looking at them all in one place. They all met in the Gift Shop but eventually gravitated to the kitchen as Eliza (Melody and Soos' baby, or _'Little Bundle of Cuteness and Baby Fat'_ as Mabel had described her) got a bit hungry. She was already staying up past her bedtime as it was. The conversation had mainly centered around Mabel herself, the ride up from Portland, and the conspicuous absence of one Mystery Twin.

"Hey, where's Dipper by the way?" Wendy questioned, curiosity lacing her words. "I thought he was meeting up with you in Portland?"

Everyone save the Grunkles (she had already explained the situation to them on the ride up from the Bus Stop) looked at Mabel quizzically. She shrugged. "Left a message on my phone this morning saying he would be a day late. Something about a delayed flight."

Everyone looked saddened by this news, but understood, and the night resumed. As it got late people started having to head home, but not before making plans for dinner tomorrow at Greasy's to welcome Dipper back home, and taking the picture that Mabel sent to her brother as a covert pick-me-up. Something told her he would need it.

* * *

 **Ey! Less than a years gap between now and my last upload. I don't wanna jinx it, but I'm feeling good about more regular uploads. Didn't get around to that third character, but next chapter for sure. Anyway, PLEASE give feedback, whether it be through a PM or a review - it's the best way for me to get better and give you a better story. Especially about the characters themselves, and whether Im being true to the original or not (to a reasonable degree, that is; it's an aged up fic).**

 **ANYWHO, thank you again for reading! -J.K.B-D**


	5. Chapter 5

The sunrise invaded the windows to Wendy's tiny apartment in downtown Gravity Falls, penetrating her curtains like a phantom through a wall, and settled on her resting eyelids, irritating the sleeping redhead. Wiping the drool from her lips and pillow, she groaned as she got up and got ready for another day at her father's Lumberyard.

After she made the bed and tidied the floor, picking up the clothes strewn about in a rush to get to bed - a pair of jeans left at the foot of the bed, a plaid shirt draped over her desk chair's back, boots kicked to opposite corners of the room - she walked into bathroom and halfheartedly brushed her teeth. Her gaze fixed to her reflection in the mirror, greeting herself with red, untamed hair and enough bags under her eyes to carry her tools in - on a normal day she would make an _attempt_ to make herself look presentable, at least, but not today. Instead she merely turned on the heels of her feet and marched from the bathroom to the kitchen.

Kitchen may have been a strong word.

The kitchen-come-dining/living-room was less a space for her to cook food to fuel her hectic lifestyle, more an area for her to stumble into after a long day at the yard, tiredly punch in the minimum amount of time needed to cook her microwaveable noodles and throw herself onto a much loved (translation: beaten-to-hell) couch to watch terrible, trashy reality TV shows.

She wolfed down a bowl of cereal she thought was entirely too sugary for it to appropriate for a near-thirty year old to eat and made for her front door, but not before grabbing a leather jacket and a fraying blue and white baseball cap and slinging both on as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

She knew it was her father that had sat down next to her on the log from the groan of the stressed wood.

"You're taking the next few weeks off." He said in the tone of voice one uses when they expect no arguments, as though he was stating pure fact.  
" _What?_ " She said after recovering from the shock, "Why? What's happening?"  
"You've been running yourself ragged for the past couple months. You're becoming a danger to yourself and others."  
"No I haven't." She offered by way of ineffective argument, like a child caught sneaking sweets up to bed.  
"Wendy. You tried to cut a tree down with the wrong end of your axe this morning, and almost dropped a log on Marcus' foot. You need to take a break."  
"Okay, maybe I've been getting a bit sloppy or something-" A knowing look from the large man, " _Fine_ , I've been distracted. But I can't be jobless for a month! What'll I do for rent or food?"

Then, the most magical words Wendy had heard in a long time came out of her father's mouth.

"You'll be paid."

She was shocked for the second time in as many minutes. "Really? You're serious?"  
"Deadly."  
"I get a month of paid vacation?"  
"Yep."  
"You're not joking?"  
"I could always take it back."  
"NO! That's- Oh no, you wouldn't wanna do _that_." Manly Dan let out a booming laugh. "So, when does it start?"  
"Today, once you clock out." Wendy did a little fist pump, a habit from her teenage years, and rose to set to work.  
"Thanks Dad!"  
"Wendy?" She turned to face her father.  
"Yeah?"  
"I need you better. Try to get out of that apartment, walk about the forest a bit, see some friends."  
Wendy rolled her eyes, but a genuine smile played on her lips. "Thanks, Dad."  
"Don't mention it." He slapped his giant hand on his thighs and rose to his staggering height, walking away to the mill, but not before giving his daughter a caring and knowing smile.

* * *

Wendy walked slowly and thoughtfully through the forest and admired the bright colours and rich green tones of the grass beneath her feet, made all the more beautiful only by the coming sunset, taking stock of her options. ' _A month paid vacation. That's pretty good.'_ She thought with a smirk, ' _Could walk into town, see Tambry and the kids. Catch a movie... Maybe even go up to Portland'._ But those were all secondary to what she really wanted to do, what she's been wanting to do since she heard from the Stan's that the twins were visiting for the first time in however many years. She wanted to reconnect with her two best friends.

She had been in contact with them since they left at the end of that summer fifteen years ago, using things like Skope and Picturenow. Well, she'd been in contact with _Mabel_ for that long. Dipper and her had sorta fallen out of contact around six years ago. She didn't know why, but she was busy with... _other stuff_ , that year so it mostly passed her by. She was looking forward to seeing the dork already, but after seeing how Mabel had changed last night she was more curious than ever. Mabel had grown out of her awkward braces phase and into a beautiful and confident young woman, and if that was any indicator of how Dipper had turned out, Wendy was on tenderhooks ready to find out.

When Wendy found herself out of her daze, she was walking along a forest path that straddled the perimeter of the Mystery Shack. She thought about going in to pay Mabel a visit, but the aches in her arms, legs, fingers, neck - well, _everywhere_ , said otherwise. ' _He may have given me a month off, but he still expected me to work hard today'_. She moved to trudge along the path into town, where her bed beckoned, but she saw Stanford and a stranger moving up the path at a fast walking pace, talking animatedly and gesturing wildly with enthusiasm. She laid low; this man was a stranger (' _a nice-looking one at that_ ', she mentally added), and she still stunk of sawdust and sweat after a long day at work.

As they got closer, she could hear snippets of their conversation, but mostly just Ford's side of what seemed like a very interesting conversation.

"Really? I never expected there to be so many werewolves in London. Seems like Warren Zevon was right!"  
"...van's on a boat to New York... most of my research..."  
"Oh that's no problem my boy! You can borrow some of my equipment, of course!"

They moved further up the path, eventually entering the shack through the Gift Shop entrance, and Wendy straightened her back and resumed walking, wondering who that mysterious man was.

* * *

 **Hey all! Wendy fills out our roster of POV characters, and you know the drill! Read it and review it! If you see something that you liked, or something out of character, shout it from the rooftops!**

 **See you next time! - J.K.B-D**


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